Private - On The Move (Spawn p.2)

Mortemer awoke slowly to soft bird songs ringing in his ears. For a minute or two, he stared up into the sky, letting the auditory ambiance overcome him. A fresh foresty scent linger at the tip of his nose, giving him a nice pleasant feeling inside. After taking in the refreshing morning of the forest, He sat up and looked around. A bit of last night was a blur. All he could remember was eating and passing out. He was sitting a small distance from the campfire. There was a large number of bones scattered around their campsite. Most of them looked familiar, particularly some of the skulls, but a great majority were very unfamiliar. Mortemer stood up and looked past the campfire. Lai was sleeping on the opposite side of the campfire. He decided to be polite enough to keep quiet until she woke up and walked a short distance down the trail they were on while remaining within line of sight.

 

Alpha skipped along the green rows of overarching, hanging trees and the exuberant blooms of hibiscus and a rainbow of other flowers that bore no fruit. She was starved and it took a good while of walking until she stumbled upon a tree that was spotted red with apples and, upon looking downward, grinned at her luck as she saw a ladder lying on the grass and dirt floor. It was a bit of work setting it upright as she wasn't the strongest nor the tallest who could ensure that the contraption would be safe to climb. The risk of falling was forgotten as her hunger and thirst bar were set down low and, without much further ado, she immediately set out to the top. It didn't take long before she was within arms' reach of an assortment of gala apples and, plucking one from its nurturing bed, she took a toothy bite. "Still fresh!" she cheered and her little animal companions (including Fish whom she had removed from his preferred spot slung around her neck as she felt that the danger of falling and squashing the tiny snake was too much) followed her lead and gave their own hurrah in a symphony of barks, squeals, squawks, and hisses.

She smiled at their palpable excitement at the prospect of food and tossed down a handful of apples down, watching as they engorged themselves upon it. She was worried about Terry for a moment when the dingo swallowed the entire apple down, but he spat out the core without any of the fruity flesh around it (and she would never find out how he does that). Fish, meanwhile, seemed to suck the juice out of his meal with his fangs (again, she would never find out how he did that). Juno merely played with it, amusing herself as it rolled around. Luna and Corn, however, we the most normal and had been slowly nibbling and enjoying the treat. Alpha absentmindedly grabbed another apple, putting it in her mouth as she hopped down with ease. She turned and went about, once again, to continue to their afternoon stroll.

And then she stopped. Still as if frozen by the ice of Cocytus, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she tentatively sniffed the air. Terry, being much better of a tracker than her, dashed off in pursuit of the smoke. Alpha and crew followed and, as she ran, she quickly wrapped Fish around her neck once again (as the snake wasn't too fast by himself) and placed Corn and Juno on the quick-paced Luna's shoulders. After that was all done, she raced until she found the distinct source of the fumes; a campfire. She gave a breath in relief at the simple sight of two campers asleep. The leaves around here could be easily burnt and she waited until they awoke to tell them the dangers of setting a fire in Brisshal. She didn't want to be stuck-up or anything, but the lives of her little friends and the nature life depended on it. As such, she fixed herself with the most charming smile she could muster after being exhausted from the sudden jaunt and the bone-chilling surprise.

She quirked her eyebrow as the red-haired one sat up, awake. He seemed to be confused as to what his surroundings were and he cranked his head around to get a good view. She giggled, tapping the top of his head from behind with a bent back and with one foot up like a crane. "Good morning, sleepy-head!" she giggled. "Do you happen to have any fish sticks? Terry smelled the smoke and thought it was the smell of cooking food and now he's so disappointed," she sighed and scratched the back of her head sheepishly before her eyes turned in a mixture of seriousness and worry. "Try not to light too many fires in the forest, though! It's really easy to cause a wildfire!"

She offered her hand and, with the other, jabbed her thumb at the direction of the blonde-haired woman. "Name's Alphabet Chocolate, you can call me Alpha! Oh, and is that your wife? She looks so pretty! Nice to meet you red-haired-stranger-who-almost-burned-down-the-forest!" she spoke in jest.

@Mortemer @Laiordi Felcrest

 

Mortemer was more or less still reeling from drowsiness. That being the case a sudden tap on the back of his head, startling. As quickly as he could, which wasn't very quickly at all, he spun around to see the tapper through misty eyes. He could see her mouth moving, but he couldn't make out most of what she was saying bar a few words, such being 'sleepy', 'fish', 'smoke', and 'fires'. He began to hear everything she said after hearing 'chocolate'. He rubbed his eyes wiping away the mist in his eyes. Now that his vision was clear, he got a better look at the person and her companions in front of him. Truth be told, he didn't know what to make of what he was seeing. Then again, he'd already heard about Lai's real life hardships, which he'd find out the validity of later, so what he was seeing now wasn't too peculiar.

His mind cleared, Mortemer thought a bit more carefully about what the girl in front of him had just said. More specifically, the very last thing. He looked back at Lai who was still sound asleep behind the campfire. "Oh, she's not my wife." He said turning back to the girl. "We just met yesterday." Mortemer paused and thought about the rest of what he'd heard. He remembered her saying to call her Alpha, but he also heard the word 'chocolate' before that. Thus, he assumed her name was Chocolate. Mortemer gave her smile and returned a greeting. "Hello, Chocolate. It's nice to meet you! My name's Mortemer. Call me Morty for short." his attention was then brought to the many animals around her. "So, uh. Are they all your friends?" he asked, pointing to the many animals around her. Up until now, he'd never seen so many different animals in one place. If he kept seeing this many animals regularly, he'd probably never want to again.

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Lyre gushed at the romantic aspect of the man's words, reminding her of a variety of Shakespearean plays that her parents had forced her to read (and grudgingly enjoyed). "Oh!" she exclaimed, a light bulb brightening atop her head. She made a fist and slammed it onto her open palm, signifying her moment of serendipity. "You're engaged and you guys just met yesterday?! This is just like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty from Disney or maybe Romeo and Juliet and this is so cute! Love at first sight?! Gah, I'm kind of jealous and grossed out at the same time!"

Then she watched as the boy gestured towards her menagerie and, with a toothy grin, she gave a sweeping bow and began to introduce them to him. She pointed at them one-by-one.

"That's Corn!" the hedgehog squealed.

"That's Juno!" the parrot squawked.

"That's Luna!" the rabbit was preoccupied with staring down at the blonde-haired girl.

"That's Terry!" the dingo barked.

"And that's Fish!" the snake hissed.

And then she pointed at herself and, once again, repeated her name as if she hadn't done so before. She offered her hand. "Nice to meet you Mort! I'm just gonna call u that from now on and, anyway, what're you guys doing here? If you guys wanted some fun you should've went to Norforva or something!" she laughed.

@Mortemer

 

Mortemer wasn't sure if he should take the comment about him and Lai as flattery or an insult. The perspectives were too vivid for him to decide. He'd never payed too much attention to stuff like movies. He'd often hear his parents talking about them from time to time, but he never had enough interest to care. However he did read a few plays, some of them happening to be by Shakespeare, so he understood the basis behind the comment she was making. Of course, the one thing he remembered about Shakespeare's plays was that the two people that were in love quite often died during the story, and this knowledge unnerved him a little hearing that his "relationship" with Lai was similar to a Shakespearean play. For the sake of his future, he couldn't really say he'd be comfortable with dying this young for something like love. "Ah, it's definitely something."

As Mortemer listened to Chocolate repeat her name, Alphabet Chocolate rather than just Chocolate, and the names of all her companions and their respective sounds, he felt his stomach plummet when he heard about the rabbit. He was pretty sure most of the animals he'd caught last were rabbits. It was either that or squirrels. Or birds. One of the three. A lot of the animals they'd eaten had been skinned and stripped of any meat on them, but the bones were still scattered around the campfire. The most noticeable ones lying around were rib cages and skulls. If Mortemer had known they'd be having this kind of company, he would have made an effort to clean up the mess. Or at least scoot it into the woods. "Shit." he said looking back at the mess.

He didn't know how to feel about being called 'Mort'. Really it wasn't too different than 'Morty', but it still had a different kind of ring to it. He didn't know how to describe it. He just knew it was... different. Mortemer shook Chocolate's hand and smiled. "Again, it's nice to meet you. We didn't really think of going to such a place. You see, we just started playing yesterday so we don't really know the layout of the map." he explained, locking his hands together behind his head. "As of now we don't have a real destination. Do you know where this path leads?" he asked, pointing in the direction he was facing.

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Alpha look at him curiously, confused as to what he was staring at and why he had said a bad word. She stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to see and, upon seeing the skulls and bones that lurked near the campfire, she stood still. She looked between Mortemer, the makeshift graveyard, and her own company before blanching, face paler than the dead. She quickly turned her head back, snapping out of her thoughts as she heard Mortemer speak. All she caught was his last question but it was enough to make her grimace and frown. She stayed quiet and, with slow steps, she made her way and picked up one of the bones. It collapsed into ash in her fingers, brittle from exposure to the flames nearby. Without another word, she curled her fingers and began to dig through the thin layer of soil and, upon digging an appropriate hole, she carefully gathered all the bones and laid them gently down below. As she filled in the hole, she sighed and turned back to face Mortemer. It looked like the blonde-girl was still asleep but, with the outraged noises from her critters, she suspected that she'd wake up soon.

"I'm not gonna say anything bout eating animals cause I know that it's just something people do and I respect that," she slowly said. It was if there was something on her mind that she wanted to say but, though her lips moved, nothing came out. It took a bit of frustration and a couple of seconds for her to gather her thoughts before she could face Mortemer once again. "Just remember to bury them, Mort. I think every creature deserves that much!"

Wanting to end the discussion, she turned away and gestured to the direction Mortemer pointed at with a slight wave. "That's the way to Norforva. You wouldn't want to go there, though, cause it got corrupted by blood magic," and then she held up her two arms in separate directions. "If you go up, there's the Adecus Forest and it's a pretty nice place but a bit dangerous. And, if you go there you'd probably end up in Stokbon. Y'know, the big city? You'd have to be careful whichever way you go though; there's a lot of bandits and crooks round here!"

@Mortemer

 

Mortemer thought about what Chocolate said for a moment. It had never occurred to him that he could continue the work he was doing at his family's cemetery here in this virtual world. It's true that in the real world he had a deep respect for the dead and detested anybody that would dare to disturb the dead, it seemed to be that he'd lost the prior understanding of the respect that he cherished so deeply. After all, it made him who he was. He'd be betraying himself if he allowed himself to lose that respect. He took a slow, deep breath and let it out just as slow. "You're right. I'll do my best to keep that in mind." he said, a solemn look drawn onto his face. He took a moment to be silent for the dead. Afterwards, he turned to Chocolate, a small smile replacing the solemn look he previously had.

He thought briefly about the places he'd been told about. The two places that inerested him the most were Norforva and Adecus Forest. He'd have to check them out later. However, the most practical place to go would be Stokbon. Bandits and thugs wouldn't be too much of a problem mostly because it would do Lai and Mortemer good if they went to a town and got some supplies. "Going to a town doesn't seem like a bad idea." he thought, keeping the idea of going to Norforva and Adecus Forest in the back of his mind. "You know, Lai and I would benefit from having someone knowledgeable like you accompanying us. Do you think you could travel with us for a while and help us out?" he asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Alpha hesitated for a moment. While she wasn't that interested in going back to Stokbon (as she hated the city with all the passion an outdoors-woman could have, other than their frankly fantastic Sweets Emporium) but, despite the man's blatant disrespect in consuming the creatures, she couldn't leave them on their own. They just didn't know how to treat the critters around the forest and she couldn't fault them for that and so, with her mind decided, she gave a tentative nod. It would be dangerous for them to go unprotected so early on in the game. When she had first started, she had the company of Merkaba and, even then, she had been weaponless and left at the mercy of a pack of wolves that she had narrowly fought off with a stick and rock on the ground. It was a frightening, traumatizing experience and she didn't want Mort and the other girl to go through all of that without witnessing the joys and splendors of the game world.

"I know a way that has barely any enemies. You guys have to stay close though, since the way is kinda confusing. Also, we'd have to take some breaks since we'll be going in a few circles so it'd take twice as long as usual; but there'll be less danger for you guys," she explained. Then she gestured for Luna to wake the blonde-haired girl up. They had to make headway now or else evening would come and the Oakhearts would get a tad bit more adventurous and brave. Although they typically stayed on the northern edge of the Adecus Forest, sometimes a few of them would stray from their habitats from either chasing prey or for mysterious reasons that she didn't know, leaving a few hindering pathways through Brisshal and, if they managed to survive the landscape, perhaps even haunt the border of Norforva for mere days before dying. "Cmon, we have to hurry!" she urged and, in her haste, she flicked up her spell menu and, scrolling through, she finally selected a spell to extinguish the flames. It wouldn't be good if they forgot to clear it up soon; fire was something that easily spread. "Spegnere!" she called and, within moments, a burst of green energy smothered and turned the remaining sparks to ashen dust.

@Mortemer @Laiordi Felcrest

 

"Elly!" A male voice called out from another room. "Don't forget to change the wildcat pens today!" Reminding the ebony haired girl a sharp shriek could be heard soon after, followed by a chorus of feral growls and guttural growls.

Sitting in the next room over a small girl snacked on some animal treats with a small lion cub. Clad in a heavy black hoodie, covered with fur. and a black skirt. Elyssa played alongside the animal, using her arm to softly bat and swat it's face and nose. Letting it claw and teethe her hands and forearm. "Hey!, it's not my fault you give off a creepy vibe!" She yelled back in response. Smirking as the cub made an over enthusiastic attempt of a roar she clapped her hands and made a similar sound. An intimidating, heavy, rumble erupting from her throat she opened her mouth; baring her teeth at the little lion. Softly yapping it rolled in her lap, submitting it's underside to her. Smirking she plucked a red cube from a metallic bowl, raw steak. Placing it in her teeth, Elyssa leaned down. Eagerly standing up the cub chatted it's teeth together before stretching it's front paws to the girl's cheeks, leaning up to snatch the treat from her mouth.

"What do you mean a creep?" the man asked, now entering the room. Noticing the actions his protégé was performing he frowned and shook his head. "I've warned you of the health risks of that." he scolded, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

The lion fleeing from it's adoptive mother's lap it wandered off, most likely to find it's playmates. "Aww, okay." Elyssa pouted lightly. Leaning back on the couch she shrugged, crossing her legs and rocking her feet. "It's what my instinct tells me about you, you look shady and underfed. and the cats also see that. through the evolution of our instincts we were naturally taught to either heal the ill, or avoid them. So we can survive." She stated out her interpretation of what she was forced to understand.

Arching a brow she gave a questioning glance to the man. "Come on doc, what don't I already have to take medicine for?." She asked. "Plus, I'm not going to get anything from Aslan." She mentioned her furry friend who she had given the name of a very popular fictional lion king.

"I mean the meat Elyssa, I know you had to eat that kind of thing while surviving out there. But now you can have anything you want!" he exclaimed, worried for the girl.

"Oh?, but there's nothing even close about this compared to out there~" she cooed, standing to her feet. Taking a relaxing breath to soothe her anxiety. A 'perk' of being adopted by lions. Walking past the man she looked over her shoulder, mimicking the look that redhead had given her in Terra. "The meat I had to eat was still warm as I tore it off of the bone with my teeth." She stated, licking her lips. Not bothering to keep looking for the man's expression she offered a quick wave. "I'm going to clean the pens then head home early, I'm meeting up with a friend." she stated, disappearing outside to tend to the more aggressive animals.

Letting out an exhausted sigh Elyssa tossed her hoodie on the coat rack, revealing her well toned arms. Kicking off her shoes she made her way towards the living room, or rather her room. The girl couldn't help but smirk, what would she be able to do today? Thinking of the endless possibilities her body shook with excitement. In the real world she was held back, in Terra. She could be Lai'ordi, and maybe even more?

Plopping on her bed she quickly put on the NerveGear, booting up the system Elyssa took a deep breath. "Link Start!"

Thrown into a world of spinning colors and shapes the girl winced as the bright lights flashed until eventually forming a small beady face. "Huh?..." staring into curious eyes Lai'ordi's body stiffened, her ears and lion like tail standing alert she swiftly rolled away. Bouncing to her feet, falling into an offensive stance. Baring her fangs towards the beast who was in front of her.

"wait..." Ruby eyes blinking in confusion the girl gazed at a small furry creature. "Didn't I eat you?" She asked becoming more confused. As if to throw her deeper into the rabbit's hole a foreign voice yelled out. Changing her focus; Lai'ordi spotted another person. Staring blankly at the new person she shifted her gaze to the red head next them. "Are you stupid?" she instinctively asked letting out a yawn, feeling more at ease now she knew Mortemer was still there.

 

Mortemer turned towards Lai and watched the rabbit wake her up. The way she reacted was a bit amusing. "'Morning." he said shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's time to get up. We're movin' out." He pointed back to Chocolate. "This is Chocolate. She's gonna guide us to Stokbon." Mortemer and Lai had been traveling for a decent while on their own, and he began to wonder how long it would take now that they have a guide accompanying them. He hoped it would take too terribly long, like a day or two at the most if not somewhat less. "Hopefully when we get to a town we can stock up on supplies."

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Lyre stared at the newly-wakened girl for a few moments before instinctively moving to place her between Luna and the woman's confused gaze. She puffed up her cheeks in indignation and wagged her pointer finger. "No eating Luna!" she chastised the girl before moving to give the terrified Luna a pet. The poor rabbit had the right to be shaking after that unexpected threat.

After she had managed to calm the bunny down, she turned back to Mortemer who had mentioned her name. She gave a nod in affirmation. "Stokbon is a major city but we can do some detours on our way there. There's about two to three villages along the way that I know has medical plants and all that stuff!"

She spun around and beckoned the two to follow, marching into the woods. Twigs and crinkled leaves snapped at her footsteps and she continued to wander off, her beastly crew following, as she intended to lead them to safety. Despite it being good charity, she couldn't help but feel a tad bit bored on this adventure.

@Mortemer @Laiordi Felcrest

 

"I had my job to tend to." She murmured. Loosening her stance she nodded towards the red head before facing the rabbit and it's caretaker. "Don't worry, I'm not hungry. At the moment~" she chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood in her own... 'Demented' way. Standing straight and raising her slender arms she let out a roar of a yawn, Snapping sounds erupting from her body as the girl performed the action. An awful kink in her neck Lai'ordi tilted her head and frowned. The fluffy ears on top her head flattening against her blonde hair. "we need to get something softer than dirt." She muttered not liking the stiffness in her avatar's body.

Following the new girl, Chocolate. Lai'ordi, examined her little minions. Each of them with their own unique look and attitude, it was odd to see such animals at peace with one another. Shrugging she walked through the forest, stepping through brush, and over branches. "I'm not really fond of...crowded...places." she stated. "I'll most likely stay outside or circle around.".

"So, I'm a lion." She comments out of nowhere. Shifting her gaze to the back of the girl in front of her she frowns. "I refuse to be a lamb, led to the slaughter. So...before I do start craving for some Chocolate. I would like to be informed of the events up to now." She ordered, her voice unwavering.

 

"Chocolate just happened to show up a bit before you woke up. Right now she thinks you're my wife or forbidden love or something." Mortemer said locking his hands behind his head. As he walked he kicked a stone down the path. It was a small source of entertainment so he didn't kick it very far away. While he walked he considered the idea of settling down or being in some kind of romantic relationship. While it seemed pleasant enough of an idea, he didn't have much interest in it at the moment. Besides, he didn't he find anybody with a kink for homicidal maniacs anytime soon.

He turned to Chocolate, a small smile on his face. "So Chocolate, what's your story?" he asked. "How're you livin' right now? Lai and I would go first but we already told each other." Mortemer had been curious about what Chocolate's life for a while since they started walking. If he could learn any interesting bit of information that would give him an inkling of what Chocolate's like outside of the game, he'd be fine with it. Although, he'd like to hear as much as possible if possible.

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Although Alpha tried to remain stoic until then, she couldn't help the grin that bloomed on her features once Mortemer had asked for her story. She had been put on edge by the lion girl's (now named Lai once Mortemer had finally said her name) threat to eat her but it seemed as if all tension had drained from her at Mortemer's question. With all the cheesiest flourish she could produce (alongside her attempt at hamming everything up with her best try at a guttural, serious voice), she spread her arms wide (accidentally hitting a branch) and, without turning around, continued to walk. "My name's Alphabet Chocolate, officer of the Starfleet and command-deer of the regiment?" she tried to pronounce the words correctly (and was obviously failing).

She shook her head, attempting to divert attention. In an attempt to save her grace, she began reciting something she had learned a long time ago. Something that would, most definitely, earn her the respect of those listening. It was something from the twenty-first century, back in the early 2000's when her grandfather was born. She said it with practiced ease and false bravado:

"What the fudge did you just fudging say about me, you little bitch? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I’m the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fudge out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fudging words. You think you can get away with saying that stuff to me over the Internet? Think again, fudger. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of spies across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You’re fudging dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that’s just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the United States Marine Corps and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable butt off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little “clever” comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fudging tongue. But you couldn’t, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it. You’re fudging dead, kiddo."

It made no sense in context, but it definitely had the effect of letting Alpha puff our her chest in pride.

 

"Yeah...umm...no. As in no offense but, I'm not really on the market..." she comments on the idea of them being together; really just the idea of being in a relationship. Nobody has been able to satisfy her needs and requirements since her trip, so she's been. Sexually Stagnant. Crossing her arms she awaited a response from the girl.

Hearing Mortemer's question, Lai nodded and gazed towards Chocolate. "I'm a bit curious myself, we are crazy people so you don't have to answer." she offered, moving to stand behind the group.

Her ears perked up throughout the joke of a story Lai's expression slowly twisted from content to irritated. Giving Chocolate a chance to redeem herself the lioness heard her words till the end.

"Oh?, You're done?" She asked, her tone of voice changing into one of distaste. "You could shortened that entire thing to. I'm not comfortable of telling my life to total strangers; or even better!. No." She commented, showing her annoyance. Shifting her gaze she shot daggers into the girl's back. "Let's hope you've a way to get on my good side." Lai stated.